The technology regarding barcodes and barcode readers has advanced significantly over the past couple decades. Conventional barcode readers, or laser scanners, are designed to scan laser beams across a barcode, but are normally only capable of reading barcodes that are printed on a paper-based medium. However, many barcodes can now be displayed on the LCD or LED screens of mobile devices rather than on paper. Therefore, new barcode reading technologies have been developed to account for illuminated barcodes as opposed to the traditional barcodes that merely reflect laser light.
When a customer uses a mobile device, such as a smart phone, to display a barcode, there are some potential issues that may arise in the barcode reading process. For instance, the customer may need to hand the mobile device to a cashier, who may then swipe the mobile device over a scanner. In some circumstances, the customers may not want strangers handling their mobile device, perhaps because of privacy concerns or because of concerns that the cashier may mishandle the mobile device.
In other situations, a customer may turn the screen of the mobile device toward the cashier for scanning. However, other problems may arise in this scenario in which the screen is turned away from the customer. For instance, the screen may accidentally be switched to a different display that does not show the barcode, may be fading to black, or may be automatically turned off without the customer being aware of what is being displayed.
These and other issues may be common when mobile devices are used to display barcodes. Therefore, a need exists for providing a barcode reader that is easy to use and that overcomes the problems mentioned above.